VinVega

I watched that piece on Subway. What a frighteningly managed company. So exploitative of their franchisees.

TomOpus

A Subway close to my work was closed for a month or so. Was completely remodeled inside. At night, when the lights were on, looked nicer. Clean lines. It was always fairly busy from what I could see.

jfoobar

I used to eat at Subway quite regularly for lunch, always getting the same sub (footlong turkey/ham on wheat with double meat) as part of intermittent fasting. Basically, skip breakfast, calorie-heavy lunch (the Subway sub), light dinner, get some more exercise. I lost a lot of weight doing that. I would never claim that Subway makes a great sandwich but their wheat bread is actually pretty decent and their cold cuts (the turkey and ham anyway) are perfectly fine. Eating the same one or two things for lunch most days makes it easier for me to manage caloric intake and Subway is certainly convenient since they are pretty much everywhere.

But I completely stopped going to Subway several months ago because, frankly, far too many of their franchises are run by complete crooks, including the one that is by far the closest one to my house. I insist on getting what I paid for (fuck me, right?) and I know what the correct portion of meat that goes on the sub I order is. Way too many Subways deliberately and systematically under-portion their subs. As the portions are documented, doing so is actually committing fraud at least under my state's law. There is one Subway a few miles away (which I have never and would never go to) whose online reviews are page after page of people making the same complaint about the store ripping them off on portions, including stories about them being kicked out for insisting on getting what they paid for, that go back for almost two years.

I filed a written complaint with Subway about my local store and they responded by...merely forwarding the complaint to the store owner. He responded, apologized, and then nothing changed at all. I could never order a sub on the app there because any sub they make which they don't make in front of you (and correct them when they under-portion it) will absolutely be under-portioned by at least a third.

GoldenJCJ

I stopped by a Subway a few weeks ago and was amused when I saw a large sticker on their counter with that “Truth about Tuna” website listed on it.

I’ve never gotten a tuna sandwich from Subway so I didn’t really care, I just thought it was amusing that they seem to be working overtime to save the reputation of their tuna.

Decker

I mean canned tuna is about the cheapest meat available. We feed it to cats. What does it say about your company if even that product comes under intense scrutiny?

VinVega

With the rise of other sub alternatives (Jimmy Johns, Jersey Mikes, Firehouse, McAlister's Deli, and a few others), most of the Subway sandwich shops in my area have closed. There is still one in a Walmart by me, but that's pretty much it. People just stopped going because there are a lot better options out there.

TomOpus

The one that was in my WM closed shortly after they put pizza on the menu. Thought it was odd to have, never tried it before it closed.

GoldenJCJ

There are still at least a dozen Subways near me but we also have some decent alternatives. I’m particularly fond of Firehouse subs (we also have Jersey Mike’s, Jimmy John’s, and a place called Silver Mine all within a few miles from my house).

I used to really like Blimpie and Quiznos but they have all closed near me.

Noonan

Basically every town in New England has a "Town Name" House of Pizza which has much better food for cheaper. If I want a sub, I'll always go to one of those.

Cellar Door

Jaymole

I stopped going to Subway when they stopped serving the $5 footlongs. No way is that skimpy on meat sandwich worth more than $5

fujishig

That 5 dollar footlong basically killed their business, I think. Great marketing campaign but who's going to go there at regular price after years and years of that?

Josh-da-man

Yeah, going from ten years of "Five Dollar Footlong" to "Twelve Dollar Footlong" is going to be the kind of thing that pisses people off.

I was poking around the Subway app, trying to look those new sandwiches they were doing in a "bracket" of some kind, and one of them cost something like eighteen dollars fro the "pro" option. Eighteen dollars for a fucking Subway sandwich with a double portion of their substandard meat. (Which, they way they skimp on meat, it would be a single portion at any other sandwich shop or deli.)

Timber

Exactly. It was never quality food but it was filling for $5. I'm not going out of my way to go there and pay more for the same mediocre sub. At $5 I felt I was paying what they were worth.

zyzzle

Utterly absurd. Not sure I'd give their "substandard meat product" to a starving dog, let alone consume it myself. But, $18 for that garbage? Wow, the gall and the humanity!

cultshock

Eighteen bucks for a frigging sandwich??? And a shitty Subway one at that? Jesus christ people, just make your own sub sandwich at home, it's not that difficult and would probably taste much better, you don't need to be a "sandwich artist" to make a frigging sandwich. And it would be much cheaper with better ingredients. The amount of people who can't be arsed to make their own meals at home once in awhile these days is mindboggling. It's not rocket science.

Decker

I'm seeing $14.49 for the Pro version of the Turkey Avocado Cali Fresh Footlong. Still way too much money for a terrible sandwich (and over 1300 calories), but not $18.

tasha99

My husband and I had McDonald's takeout a few days ago. A Filet O'Fish, a bacon quarter pounder with cheese, a 10 piece chicken nuggets, two medium fries, and an oreo Mcflurry. A pig out meal for 2, but it was $26!!! At McDonalds! We won't be back and have sort of given up on restaurants outside of travel. We drive by a KFC that proudly displays a 10 piece meal for "only" $35 (this is dark meat only). For comparison, I spent about $30 making a "date night" dinner last night-- caesar salad, french bread, and 5 pounds of manila clams steamed with garlic, shallots, and wine, plus cheap Costco wine to drink to Friday night levels of excess (we didn't even get soft drinks at McDonalds). We don't eat out much anymore, but I'm just stunned at how much people pay for crap food. I can't imagine paying more than $5 for Subway. There's barely any meat on those sandwiches.

Josh-da-man

The $18 Subway Sandwich I was looking at was either "The Monster" (steak + bacon, 2x cheese) or "The Outlaw" (chicken + bacon, 2x cheese). "Pro" option with double meat, but, my god, man. I think I included tax in my $18 estimate. I didn't buy anything because I don't really like Subway and will only eat there once every three years or so.

I entered tasha's order in my McDonalds app, and it came to $24.16 at my local Mickey D's before tax with meals on the Quarter Pounder and Filet-o-Fish (med fry + med drink).

But, yeah, the prices of fast food have gone absolutely nuts. A Quarter Pounder at McDonalds is now $4.89. At KFC a "Side Lovers" family meal with 8 tenders and three sides is $26.99; a 3-piece meal with a tiny wing and the two smallest breasts you've ever seen and two sides is $9.49. I can go to Walmart or Kroger and get eight pieces of better fried chicken for less. It's bloody ridiculous.

When I'm going through the drive thrus at places like Mickey D's and Wendy's, I frequently see people spending $35-$45 on their orders when I catch a glimpse of their order screen.

I order everything through apps, and we'll get a premium sandwich at Wendy's and a second one for a dollar with an offer on their app, which is a pretty good deal even though they recently jacked up their prices. Then I'll swing by McDonalds and get a $1 large fry off of their app, and my wife and I can can dine on two premium burgers/chicken sandwiches and fries for under ten dollars.

Speaking of McDonalds, I'm kind of pissed that they're now charging $0.25 for extra dipping sauces. Used to grab a couple of BBQ sauces to dip my $1 large fries in (I hate ketchup and dip my fries in BBQ sauce), so I might be responsible for that change.

PhantomStranger

Some McDonald's franchises have always charged extra for dipping sauces.

zyzzle

It really is no exaggeration to say that fast food has at least doubled across the board since 2020. Service has gotten much worse, and portions smaller as well.

I haven't even been to a "good" restaurant since late 2019. I'm sure the same things apply to them as well. $20-25 for a (good) burger and fries or $20 for a sandwich at a good Deli, etc. Not including soft drink which is up to about $4 now.

It is no better time to "make it at home for 1/5th" than the present, folks. So many people are so lazy that they can't even boil water or put together a simple, reasonably nutritious meal themselves at home, but go to Mickey Ds and spend $30 on a crappy meal for two, which they could make themselves at home for about $7- $8, even considering the terrible inflation at their local grocery stores.

dvd-4-life

The prices on fast food wouldn't be that bad but they continue to let Door Dash,etc charge as much as they want on their deliveries.

whotony

Expound on this please.

nickdawgy

Subway is actually a lot better than it used to be. It’s not the best sandwich but Burger King isn’t better than In N Out, either. I only eat at Subway when I have a coupon. I’ll pay $6 for a sandwich not $11.

TomOpus

DashPass is your friend.